Sign in with Facebook"BRISBANE" Brisbane by pedroswift
Brisbane Travel Guide: 1,600 reviews and 3,449 photos
"I've been a prisoner at Port Macquarie, at Norfolk Island and Emu Plains,
At Castle Hill and at cursed Toongabbie, at all those settlements I've worked in chains;
but of all places of condemnation and penal stations of New South Wales.
To Moreton Bay I've found no equal: excessive tyranny each day prevails!"
social commentary from prisoner during the penal colony days.
Brisbane is built on the Brisbane River which flows into Moreton Bay. Moreton Bay was named by Captain James Cook in 1770. It was not until 1823 that the River was discovered by Europeans ( shipwrecked convicts).
The settlement (Moreton Bay Penal Settlement) eventually to be known as Brisbane began at Humpybong on the Redcliffe Peninsular in 1824. Lack of fresh water soon resulted in relocation to 'Meeaan-jin' (Turrbal name for Brisbane), The Turrbal being the traditional owners of the site upon which Brisbane was eventually built.
more history
Derivation of name- "Brisbane"
Brisbane, capital city of the state of Queensland, was named after Sir Thomas MacDougall Brisbane 1773-1860, Governor of New South Wales 1820-25.
By the way, Queensland legally separated from New South Wales on June 6, 1859 ...but it was not until December 10, 1859 that Queensland's first Governor, Sir George Ferguson Bowen, officially proclaimed Queensland to be a separate colony from New South Wales.
June 6 is now celebrated by Queenslanders as the day acknowledging the birth of Queensland. Have you worked it out? 150 years old in 2010!
The Brisbane River has a sting in it's tail....Flooding. Jan 2011 saw hundreds of homes and businesses wrecked by flood waters. Transport on the River by City Cat & ferry was disrupted for a long time during 2011, as some terminals had to be re-built. Visitors during summer should be aware that whenever the river floods, river transport is curtailed!! see Transport tip below
For me, Brisbane is "Home; Sweet Home". Sub-Tropical and green....not the dark greens and the bright greens of early leaf budding of Northern Europe. Here it's the olive drab greens of the black wattle and the gum trees ...but lots of it where I live.
Visiting Brisbane?? - Don't forget to check out the trees. Ask about what species are flowering and seek them out. See some photos in the Local Customs reviews down the page.
"Where's the river in the photo above?" you ask. It's behind the trees 1km away - the South Pine (not the Brisbane River). I'm northern suburbs born & bred.
If Al Gore is right & sea level rises, my house will eventually be "absolute water frontage" thanks to the Pine River. Hope he is wrong!
Will global warning change the green outlook? Brisbane suffered a severe drought up until 2010 . Not unexpected in the driest inhabited continent in the world. Visiting Brisbane? Will you ever be asked to bring your own water??
What's the climate like. ...In a nutshell - warm. Some would say bloody hot in Jan/Feb with unbearable humidity. Typical day is 31º C : Humidity 70%. Muggy!
If you don't have to visit then, pick late March to November to visit....you won't regret it.
If you do turn up & it's hot & you need a swim to cool off
Today's Weather (current & forecast) for Queensland, Australia and the world
Some Local Customs of interest
DRIVING
Driving around Brisbane is a nightmare at the moment. There are road building projects every where. It's catch up time for infrastructure sadly neglected despite Brisbane being the fastest growing capital city in Australia with an influx of 1.2 million extra residents during the last 20 years.
Be patient if you must drive. Please don't end up as a patient in the local hospitals! The hospitals have to catch up as well!!
WHAT TO SEE WHEN YOU VISIT
South Bank Park - Use the River Cat service or train or bus to get there.
GOMA - The Gallery of Modern Art in the Cultural Complex at South Bank.
The cultural activities are "world class". The venue attracts visiting exhibitions and shows the envy of bigger cities around the world.
Lone Pine Sanctuary for Koala and Kangaroo Photo opportunities...Transport via river ferry or bus.
Day trip to Australia Zoo. Bus pick-up daily from most Brisbane & Gold Coast hotels
If I had to recommend a unique food for Brisbane & SE Queensland I'd select Moreton Bay Bugs. Moreton Bay is at our doorstep to the east. The bugs are funny looking sea creatures with a flattish thorax and a lobster-like tail. Succulent tail meat is not unlike lobster. Try some before leaving Brisbane.
Although a tropical Queensland product, Barramundi is a fish worth trying while in the region. Ask for Australian wild or farmed product rather than SE Asian. "Barramundi" is an aboriginal word meaning "large scaled fish" originally given to the Saratoga or lung fish but stolen by marketing gurus to promote 'lates calcarifer'.
Macadamia Nuts are native to the region (Known as Queensland Nuts). Low in saturated fats they and the oil gathered from cold pressing are good for you. Try a macadamia slice with coffee.Try barramundi in a macadamia crust before you leave our region. Looking for unique gift from OZ: take home a bottle of macadamia oil.
Don't leave without trying a Four x beer. Brewed in Brisbane for real men and real gals.
Dining in Brisbane (or anywhere else in our great state of Queensland) : ask for a local wine.
Talking "local" products? Well not quite local but from Queensland. Don't leave town without trying Bundaberg Ginger Beer. (soft drink)Another iconic Queenland product from Bundaberg - Bundy Rum.
see more Qld sourced Fine Foods
More eating in Brisbane
In keeping with my stated philosophy on posting tips, most of my tips on my home city page are on restaurants although there are a couple of others on "customs" , "transport" & "warnings", for example, which I had not seen covered by other vt posters.
Further to the eating out tips, let me tell you that there are some very good Pub Grub eateries in Brisbane especially if you enjoy steak. Australians eat 34.5 kgs of steak per head of population per year. Australia is the worlds biggest exporter of steak. Is there any left for you and me? Too right there is!!
According to a mid 2008 reader survey conducted by a local newspaper, The Top Ten Steak Places in Brisbane (in alphabetical order): Breakfast Creek Hotel, Caxton Hotel (Petrie Tce.), Cha Cha Cha (city restaurant), Fiasco's @Morrison Hotel (Wooloongabba), Hog's Breath Cafe (Cleveland), Norman Hotel (Wooloongabba), Normanby Hotel (Red Hill), Pineapple Hotel (Kangaroo Point), Samford Hotel (Samford), Story Bridge Hotel (Kangaroo Point). You would be more than satisfied if you chose any of these places for a steak. I have eaten at 9 of them over the years. Cha Cha Cha most recently. It's probably the "best" (white tablecloths etc so not really pub grub) & prices are significantly higher than the others.
Note: Feb 2010. The result of this year's survey included most of the above but included Albany Creek Tavern . Holland Park Hotel, Victoria Point Tavern & Transcontinental Hotel Steak House in the city.
VISITORS TO MY BACK YARD
(above left) As cuddly as a Koala and Flat out like a lizard drinking (click to enlarge).
See video of our most annoying visitor: Common Koel.
Spring time visitor from Asia. Has an annoyingly loud mating call that starts well before my preferred wake-up time. AHHHHHHHHH!!
VT Visitors to Brisbane Sep 2009. travelogue below.
- Pros:Great place to live
- Cons:Traffic congestion due to rapid population growth
- In a nutshell:River City - with easy access to water sports - sailing!
Reviews (38)
The Colour Yellow then Pink
Local Customs
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Beautiful trees in sub tropical Brisbane adding class to the suburban street scapes - Bangcock Rose (Mussaenda). Starts... more travel advice
The Colour "Yellow" - Check out the...
Local Customs
(5)
Another patch of colour is provided every summer by a profusion of Golden Pendas (Xanthosteman Chrsanthus). Continuous... more travel advice
Pay to Park on the Street
Transportation
(4)
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Coffee or a complete meal
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Here is an affordable licensed cafe & restaurant located in a top location at Brisbane Port Side which is where... more travel advice
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pedroswift's Related Pages
Brisbane Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "BRISBANE - Capital of Queensland"
- "A big country town.................."
- "Be it ever so humble......."
- "MY HOME"
- "BRISBANE – Out of ‘Moreton Bay’"
- "Sunny Brisbane, Enjoyable Any Time Of Year"
- "BRISBANE"
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Comments (11)
Thanks for your interesting page about that faraway city...
Thanks for your answer re my Sicily trip. And I visit your page to find you are a fellow Brisbane north sider! Great tip re Moreton Bay bugs. I will now check out your restaraunt tips that everyone is raving about... :-)
Love your restaurant tips, did not get to Brisbane when I was in your country, but thanks for the intro ;-)
Thanks for the wonderful tour of Brisbane.Your restaurant tips are meticulous and thorough.I should never read food tips just before a meal time. Yes in fact I spent three days around Ieper.More time easily,there's just so much to absorb and process!
Why did n't I think of that? Nice tip. Marg
Breakfast Creek Hotel was a great venue for a VT meet. The food was good - one the best calamaris that I have ever had!
Me again, coming back to look at the updates and new tips that you have added to this page since February 6, 2007. Good idea to stay overnight to attend a wine tasting esp. since it was cheaper than taxi. Shocking to hear of magpies attacking bike-riders!
What a fabulous page Peter! Your cooking t'logues are making my mouth water!! You maggie tip brought back memories :o) Cheers, Ann.
Egg tiimers in the shower....interesting idea.
Great tips. Looking forward to my visit. Travel2write